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While Fair Eva will make most of the headlines in the lead-up to Friday’s (23rd September) Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile Racecourse, victory for Spain Burg would create a good giant-killing story as it would give her little-known French trainer, Xavier Thomas Demaulte, his first British victory.
Easy winner of the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot in July before suffering a surprise reverse when third in the Group 2 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York, Fair Eva is one of eight declared runners, alongside Spain Burg, for this £100,000 seven furlong contest.
The Shadwell Rockfel Stakes shares top billing with another Shadwell-sponsored Group 2 event, the one mile £109,000 Joel Stakes, on the second day of the three-day Cambridgeshire meeting.
Trained by Roger Charlton, Fair Eva has attracted extra publicity because she is from the first crop of the unbeaten two-time World Champion, Frankel.
Spain Burg, who will be ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori, has a much lower profile. But she has already proved herself a high class filly while racing in the French provinces, winning three of her four career starts, including a last time out success in the Listed Criterium du Bequet at La Teste on 3rd August.
Her trainer, Thomas Demaulte, is based at Mont-de-Marsan in south western France, where he has held a licence since late 2001. He is a former assistant to top jumps trainer, Francois Doumen, and to date has failed to visit the winner’s enclosure with his four British runners.
Other interesting Shadwell Rockfel Stakes candidates include the Group 3 German-Throughbred.com Sweet Solera Stakes heroine, Nations Alexander, while the Shadwell Joel Stakes has a field of six, led by Nathra, runner-up from the French 1000 Guineas who has not run since June, and the 2014 winner of this race (and second last year), Custom Cut.
Xavier Thomas Demaulte, trainer of Spain Burg, said:
“I have been aiming Spain Burg at the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes ever since she won the Criterium du Bequet – there was nothing in France that fitted into her schedule.”
“The Rockfel will of course be tougher than her last race, but she is already a black type filly so why not try a Group race? It is important for her future job as a broodmare.”
“The ground does not matter for her – she has won on ‘good to firm’ and heavy, but the straight course may be a big surprise for her.”
“I wanted to book a jockey with experience in England, so I went for Frankie Dettori as he is the best. And he has ridden for me before – he was Group 2 placed on Rock Me Baby in the Prix de Sandringham [back in 2012].”
“It’s a real dream to win in England, especially at Newmarket. I have fond memories of having British winners when I was with Francois Doumen, such as The Fellow at Kempton Park and Djeddah at Ascot, and I have had international victories in my own name, in Dubai and Spain and a Group 1 in Italy with Shamalgan.”